Rabon Will Work to Defeat Proposal to Make
English the State’s Official Language

In response to recent announcements regarding
a proposal to make English the official language of the state of
Oklahoma, Sen. Jeff
Rabon on Thursday stated he would do everything in his power
to ensure such a measure would not win the approval of the Senate.

Rabon said he felt the state should be doing more to honor the
fact that Oklahoma is home to numerous sovereign nations with unique
languages and cultures that deserve the respect of the Legislature.

“I feel like this highlights an intolerance and insensitivity
to our history and background,” said Rabon, D-Hugo. “Oklahoma
is the quintessential melting pot. We have folks here from all over
the world, but we also have more than 40 Indian tribes all with
their own unique language. I think we ought to be going the other
direction and doing more to honor and highlight the fact that we
have so many sovereign nations with their own languages and cultures.”

Rabon noted that Oklahoma is home to numerous families whose relatives
immigrated to the state of Oklahoma, and in many communities, native
languages are still spoken. Rabon pointed to areas such as Krebs
and Okarche where Italian and German, respectively, can still be
heard in local shops and restaurants.

Rabon called the proposal divisive and unnecessary and questioned
what practical purpose the legislation would serve.

“It’s a solution in search of a problem,” Rabon
said. “I see it as divisive and disrespectful to our Native
American brothers and sisters, and it’s the wrong thing to
do. No one has explained to me what we’re trying to solve
by making English the official language. If there is a problem with
signage, then we can take care of the problem in another way.”

Rabon explained that Oklahoma’s unique, multi-cultural heritage
sets the state apart from any other state in the region.

“We had the indigenous peoples here prior to the 1600’s,
then the tribes that were moved to Oklahoma in the 1800’s
and then a significant percentage of those participating in the
land run were immigrants,” Rabon said. “We were really
the last bastion of freedom - another Ellis Island. To seek to do
something like this is unnecessarily divisive. We ought to be proud
of our heritage and our identity as a home to people from numerous
backgrounds.”

Rabon said he would work to defeat the proposal in the Senate,
and said his stance on the issue was motivated by a desire to treat
Oklahoma’s diverse population with respect and decency.

“I’m not opposing this out of disrespect for English,
but rather out of a respect for others and for our uniqueness and
individuality,” said Rabon. “It’s the wrong thing
to do, and I’ll work as hard as I can to defeat it in the
Senate should it get this far.”